Electric card groover



Dec. 10, 1957 A. w. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER 9 She ets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.- 21. 1953 #27409 (a IQF/EJQIHE,

INVENTOR.

: Dec. 10, 1957 A. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21; 1953 nemae (a Fae-em,

INVENTOR,

BY MMM A. W. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER Dec. 10, 1957 Filed Dec, 21, 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 flQfI-IUQ (a FS'IEZQMG',

. INVENTOR.

Dec. 10, 1957 A. w. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER 9 Shee ts-Sheet 4 Filed D90. 21, 1953 flier/7a? za Fae-em,

- INVENTQR.

' BY I 1 Dec. 10, 1957 A. w. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Dec. 21, 1953 perk/0e (a Fae-e706; V mmvroa Dec. 10, 1 957 A. w. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Dec. 21, 1953 yen/0e (a #55221? INVHVTOR.

Dec. 10, 1957 A. w. FEIERTAG ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Dec. 21; 1953 BY I Dec. 10, 1957 A. w. FEIERIAG 2,815,311

ELECTRIC CARD GROQVER "Filed Dec. 21,- 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 V fleas 0e (a $792M,

- INVENTOR.

ELECTRIC CARD GROOVER Arthur W. Feiertag, Athens, Ohio, assignor, by mesue assignments, to Royal McBee Corporation, a corporation of New York Application December 21, 1953, Serial No. 399,405

7 Claims. (Cl. 164-48) This invention relates to machines for cutting gnooves or notches into the edge portion of cards for identifying the cards with respect to various classifications, and more particularly to a power operated machine for grooving edge portions of a stack of cards at one time.

it is among the objects of the present invention to provide a motor operated mechanism for actuating a cutter to cut coding grooves at accurately positioned points along edge portions of a stack of cards for classifying the cards.

Another object of the invention is to provide a power actuated grooving machine provided with mechanism for controlling the operation, and for guarding against injury to the operator and/or damage to the machine by an incorrect manipulation of moving parts of the machine.

Another object is to provide a power actuated machine of the character described which is manually controlled, and which can operate only through a single cycle for each setting and operation of the manual control.

Another object is to provide a card grooving machine provided with a movable carriage and card aligning means whereby a plurality of cards may be accurately registered, aligned with the cutter, and held against movement during the cutting operation.

Another object is to provide a grooving machine having a movable carriage provided with means for accurately positioning the carriage, and cards carried thereby, with respect to a cutter; and for locking the carriage against movement during operation of the cutter.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a card grooving machine provided with a cutting block, which is moved to present a different area to the cutter at each operation, to distribute and thereby minimize wear; and to provide mounting means permitting the block to be readily removel for refinishing or replacement when required.

Another object is to provide a grooving mechanism provided with a safety lock effective to prevent operation of the cutter until the parts have been properly conditioned for operation by a manual control mechanism.

it is also an object to provide a safety controlled mechanism which prevents manual operation of the cut ting element when the power actuating mechanism is disconnected from a source of power.

A still further object is to provide a power actuated cutter of the character described having means for controlling the cutter actuating clutch mechanism at the end of each cycle of operation.

The invention has other objects and features of advantage, some of which with the foregoing will be eX- plained in the following description of that form of the invention illustrated in the drawings. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings as it may be embodied in other forms and parts may be variously modified within the definition of the claims.

In the drawings:

r 2,815,811 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 ice;

grooving machine grooved and moved to present difierent edges to the cutter for grooving.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to-Fig. 2 showing the cards positioned to present a different edge to the cutter.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view looking down upon the mechanism within the housing, the plane .of the section being indicated by the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, partly in side elevation, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a fragmental detail, partly in section, illustrating the manner in which the manual control lever is mounted.

Fig. 8 is a partial bottom view of the machine, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section, the figure showing the mechanism as viewed from the line 88 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a fragmental bottom view, partly in section, illustrating the structure and operation of the cutter block actuating mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a fragmental detail showing the mechanism for shifting the cutter block axially.

Fig. 11 is a fragmental sectional view, illustrating the manner in which a stack of cards is held between the cutting blade and the cutting block for grooving, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 1111 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 12 is a fragmental sectional detail view showing the rear carriage support and retaining means, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 12--12 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the grooving blade or cutter.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmental sectional detail view illustrating a preferred cutter blade adjusting means, the plane of the section being indicated by line 14-14 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 15 is a rfragmental sectional view, partly in elevation, illustrating the cutter actuating mechanism at one stage of its operation.

Fig. 16 is a fragmental sectional view, partly in elevavation, similar to Fig. 15, and showing the cutter actuating mechanism in another position.

Fig. 17 is a detail view, illustrating somewhat diagrammatically, the cutter control cam and associated parts in the positions occupied during a single cycle of operation of the cutter.

Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 15, omitting part of the control mechanism, and illustrating means for moving the blade to contact the card stack at the start of the operation.

Fig. 19 is a view similar to Fig. 18, but showing the hand operating lever depressed sufficiently to operate the clutch throw out lever.

'Fig. 20 is a sectional detail showing parts of the conshowing the parts in a diiferent relation.

Fig. 25 is a fragmental sectional detail illustrating the mannerinwhich thecard aligningpin is slidably mounted upon the carriage.

Fig. 26 is a fragmental detail view, partly in section, illustrating the drivingclutch, the plane ofthe' section being indicated by the line 26-26of Fig. 4.

Fig. 27isa"fr'agmental detail'view, partly in section; illustrating partsof the'cutt'er block control mechanism; the plane of the section being indicated bythe" line 27 -27 of Fig. 8. V

In terms of broad inclusion, the grooving device of the presentinvention' comprises a groove cutting blade actuated by a motor driven'mechanism for moving the blade through arelatively thick stack of'record cards accurately registered and positioned in line with the cutter to cause coding grooves to be cut simultaneously through the stack at accurately'positioned' points along edgeportions of the cards, whereby thecards may he classified. The mechanism includes a clutch operable to transmitpower'to'th'e blade actuating means only when themechanism'has been conditioned for operation by manual control in a prescribed manner; The invention includes the provision of means for preventing operation of thecutter'blade through more'than a single complete cycle'of operation until the mechanism has been reset and conditioned for further operation. The invention contemplates the provision of means for guarding against inadvertent or incorrectly timed operation of the mechanism, with possible injury to theoperator or damage to the machine, and for controlling its action to minimize wear and tear during normal operation.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of an improved cutter block, removably mounted in association with the cutter, and actuated with both rotative and axial movement, to present a different area to the cutter after each cycle of operation.

In terms of greater detail, the electric grooving machine of'my invention comprises a base frame housing 1 on' which is secured an upstanding mounting bracket 2 for supporting mechanism normally enclosed by a cover 3 removably secured to the base housing 1. A cutter 4, is mounted for reciprocating movement upon the mounting bracket 2. The cutter extends outwardly from the housing cover 3 through an opening 6 formed in a shield plate 7 mountedacross the front of the cover housing 3. The cutter 4 is replaceably secured to a slide block 8, slidably movable along guide Ways 9 secured to mounting bracket 2. The cutter 4 is provided with a V-shaped cutting edge of a character suitable for cutting grooves 11 in the edges of a stack of record cards 12 supported upon a carriage 14 movable to present the cards to the cutter for grooving at predetermined points.

An electric motor 16 is mounted upon a platform 17 pivotally mounted within the base housing 1 upon a pivot shaft 18. The position of the platform 17, and the motor 16 carried thereby, is adjusted by means of a supporting arm19, extending through an opening in the top of the base housing 1. The arm 19 is threaded to receive adjusting nuts 21 positioned above and below the top of the housing for securing the arm and the bracket in an adjusted position. The motor 16 is provided with a shaft 22 upon which is secured a main drive pulley 23. A

belt 24 is mounted over the pulley 23 and a pulley 26- secured to a main drive shaft 27 journaled upon the mountingbracket 2.

A drive pinion 28 is secured to the main drive shaft 27 in meshing engagement with a drive gear 23 secured upon a hub 31 rotatably mounted upon the shaft The hub 31 is an integral part of the clutch drum 33 of an over-running'clutch arranged to actuate a cam shaft 32. The clutch is provided with a plurality of rolls 33b mounted between the drum 33 and a clutch cam 33a keyed to the shaft 32. Aroll cage 30. retains the rolls33b in operative relation to the drum and clutchcam. Springs I are connected to the cage 30 and to a collar 45 keyed to thecam shaft-32'for-normally urging the cage in a direction such as to cause the rolls to effect driving engagement of the drum 33 with the cam 33a. The drum 33 is freely rotatable with the hub 31 and gear 29 while the roll cage 30 is held against rotation, and delivers driving force to the cam shaft 32. when the cage 30 is released, as hereinafter more fully, explained.

The cam shaft 32"is 'providedwith' a" cutter actuating cam 34 securedtothe shaft, andwarranged to engage a roller 36 mounted uponwthein'ner'end of a' cutter actuating arm 37 pivotally supported upon a sleeve'mountcd securely in a blockll67 between arms 81 and 48 on control shaft 38"whicli extends between the sides of the cover housing 3. Theouterend ofxthe cutter actuating arm 37 is pivoted to a link 39 which in turn is pivoted to the cutter block 8. The control shaft 38 is journnled upon the mounting bracket 2, and is manually operable.

ing engagement With"the ends ofthe control shaft 38' by screws 46 threaded'j'into'the' end of the shaft and providedwith kn'ob's 47" by which they may be operated to removablyattach the hubs to'the' control shaft 38, as illustrated in detail in. Fig. 7 of .the drawings.

An arm4 8f'seeuredt'o the controlshaft 38" is provided with a'pin'49"t o .Which'one en'd 'of'a tension spring 51 is secured? 'Theother endofthe' spring 51 is anchored to thebase'hou'sin'g 1, as'at50; The spring 51 operates to urgethe'shaff38in a direction"such"as to move the cutterla'ctuating; arm 37 toits' normal starting position, with thefcutt'er 4"elevate'd 'and'the' roller 36positioned for drivingengagement-by the cam 34; In this starting position thehand lever 41occupies' a raised position, as shown in Figs. .1', 5 and' 6 of'the' drawings. Downward pressure applied to the hand'lever4Iwill' cause rotation of the shaft38, and'a' corresponding movement of the mechanism associatedther'ewith, for moving the cutter 4 against the stack of cards as illustrated in'brok'en lines in Fig. l l'ofthe drawings.

Forcut'ti'nglthrough a thick stack of cards, the speed and power of an electric motor is required. Because a power operated cutter can infiict serious injury to an operator, and becausethe cards must be accurately positioned and held fo'r'the' cutting operation, it is necessary that the mechanism for'operating the cutter' be closely controlled.

For controlling the" operation of the cutter driving mechanism, a control cam 52' is secured to a collar which is keyed to the cam shaft 32in spaced 'relation to the clutch drum 33. A detent pin 53, secured to the roll cage 30 of the clutch drum 33, extends toward the cam 52. The detent pin 53 is positioned to engage a pivoted detent arm 54 pivoted upon the mounting bracket 2 by means of a pivot pin 56. An extension 57 carried by the detent arm 54"is movable between stop pins 58 securely driveninto'a'boss 59 upon'the mounting bracket 2, and operating'tolimit the throw of the detent extension arm 57. A tension spring 61'attached to the detent arm 54 and to an anchor pin' upon the mounting bracket 2 normally urges the detent arm to its locking position, as indicated in Fig. 15 of the drawings. An actuating link 62 is pivoted to the detent arm 54 by means of a pivot pin 63. The lower end of the link 62 is provided with a shoulder 64 arranged to engage an The arm 62 is normally swung to seat against the pin 66 by means of a tension spring 69 having one end attached to an anchoring pin 76 secured to the arm 62 near the shoulder 64. Movement of the arm 62 toward the pin 66 islimited by its engagement with said pin. When the shoulder 64 is seated upon the pin 66, movement of the arm 62 is limited by a reduced extension 71; and, when the shoulder 64 is displaced out of engagement with the pin .66, movement of the arm toward the pin is limited by engagement of the edge of the arm above the shoulder 64 with said pin, as shown in Fig. 17 of the drawings. The rocker arm 67 is normally urged toward its normal starting position by means of a tension spring 72, which exerts a light force tending to move the pin 66 downwardly to a point where it may be engaged by the shoulder 64.

The rocker arm 67 is actuated by means of a flexible wire 73 operating through a guide cable '74 secured at its ends to fixed anchor guide members 75 secured to bracket plates 76 secured to the main mounting bracket 2 adjacent the rocker arm 67 and the cutter actuating arm 37 as illustrated in Figs. 15, 16 and 20. The wire is secured at one end to the rocker arm 67 by means of a suitable clamping means 79. At its other end, the wire is clamped to an arm 81 secured to the control shaft 36 in spaced substantially parallel relation to the cutter actuating arm 37, the wire being secured between suitable clamping nuts 82 or other suitable securing means. The arm 81 has an opening 83 formed therein through which a pin 84 extends. The pin 84 is secured to a downwardly extending projection 86 carried by the cutter actuating arm 37. A tension spring 37 is connected to the outer end of the pin 84, and to a pin 88 secured to the arm 81. The opening 83 is a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the pin 34 so as to permit a limited range of movement of the arm 81 relative to the pin and to the cutter actuating arm, as best illustrated in Figs. 18 and 19 of the drawings.

Downward movement of the hand lever or bail 41 imparts a turning movement to the control shaft 38 and the arm 81 such as to cause the wire '73 to be drawn from the position shown in Fig. 18 of the drawing to the position indicated in Fig. 19 of the drawing. This causes the rocker arm 67 to swing from the position shown in Figs. 15 and 18 to the position shown in Figs.. 16 and 19 of the drawings. This in turn causes the pin 66 to impart an upward movement to the actuat ing link 62 sutficient to raise the detent 54 out of the path of the detent pin 53. This frees the clutch cage 30 which then activates the clutch to impart rotation to the cam shaft 32. Rotation of the cam shaft 32 causes the cam 34 to be moved in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 11 of the drawings, and serves to impart cutter actuating movement to the cutter arm 37. The cam 34 is so shaped that the arm 37 is swung through its full range of downward movement at a substantially uniform rate, and is snapped back to its starting position very rapidly as the high point of the cam passes the cam engaging roller 36 of the arm 37.

The cam 52, which is secured to the collar 45 upon the cam shaft 32 and is rotated thereby, is arranged to engage a cam pin 89 secured to the detent actuating link 62. As the high point of the cam 52 passes the pin 89, the link 62 is moved about the pivot pin 63 from the position shown in full lines in Figs. 15 and 16 to the position indicated in broken lines in Fig. 16. This causes the shoulder 64 to be moved out of engagement with the pin 66. The tension of the spring 61 causes the link 62 to pass the pin 66 and the detent 54 to move back into the path of the detent pin 53 as indicated in Fig. 17 of the drawings. This causes the detent 54 to halt the rotation of the clutch cage 30, and thereby limits 1 the rotation of the cam shaft 32 to one full rotation or 360 of movement. The rocker arm 67 is held in its displaced position, and the side of the link 62 above the shoulder 64 rests against the pin 66, until the rocker arm is restored to its starting position by a return movement of the hand lever 41 to its starting position. Thus, in the event the hand lever 41 is held in its depressed position, rotation of the cam shaft 32 and associated cams will not continue through a second cycle, but will be held against operation by engagement of the pin 53 with the detent 54 until the rocker arm 67 is reset by movement of the hand lever 41 to lower the pin 66 until it is again engaged by the shoulder 64.

To guard against inadvertent operation of the machine manually, or an inadvertent or unauthorized tampering, while the machine is not connected for operation to a source of power, such as might result in an unexpected operation of the cutting element with possible injury to the operator or damage to the machine or to cards not properly positioned for cutting, a safety arm 91 is provided. The safety arm 91 is pivoted at one end to the armature 92 of a solenoid 93 electrically connected into the circuit through which the motor 16 is connected to its source of power, as for example, by leads 100 connected to buss bar 101 having terminals 94 and 95 through which current is supplied to the motor. One of the connections to the source of power is provided with a switch 96 by which the circuit to both the motor and the solenoid may be closed and broken as desired. When the circuit through the motor is closed, the solenoid is energized and the armature is moved from its normal position, shown in full lines in Fig. 5 of the drawings, to a retracted position as shown in Fig. 15 of the drawings. The other end of the safety arm 91 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 97 slidably en aging the pin 76 to which the tension spring 69 is anchored. The other end of the tension spring 69 is secured to the safety arm 91 by a pin 98 so that the pin 70 will normally be moved toward the 97 nearest the solenoid 93, regardless of which position the armature 92 is in. When the armature 92 is in its normal outwardly extending position as shown in Fig. 5, the safety arm 91 holds the actuating link 62 in a dis: placed position such that the shoulder 64 is held clear of the actuating pin 66. As a consequence, displacement of the rocker arm 67 by manual operation of the handle 4-1 does not release the detent 54, and hence, no relative shifting of the parts is possible while the machine is disconencted from the source of power. The armature 92 is normally moved toward its outwardly extending position by a tension spring 99 connected to the safety arm 91, as best illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

As the cutter arm roller 36 drops off the high point of the cam 34, and the stop pin 53 strikes against the detent 54 to interrupt the operation of the cutting mechanism, the abrupt action tends to cause a reverse rotation of the cam shaft and a chattering of the rolls and cam flats within the clutch. To prevent such action and to cause the clutch rolls to be centered with respect to the cam flats, a control cam 102 is secured upon the cam shaft 32. A control arm 103, pivoted upon the main mounting bracket 2 by a pivot pin 104, is provided with a cam engaging roller 1116. A spring 107, secured to the arm 103 and to a stud 108 secured to the mounting bracket 2, urges the cam roller 196 toward the cam 192 and serves as a means for limiting the rotation of the cam shaft at the end of its cycle of operation. As illustrated, the stud 168 extends through an opening 169 in the arm 163 to limit the range of movement of said arm. As the cam roller 36 drops off the high point of its cam 34, the cam roller 166 engages a receding portion 116 of the cam 162 to limit the movement of the cam shaft 32, as best illustrated in Figs. 6, 23 and 24 of the drawings. The roller 106 and stud 103 are rubber covered to minimize noise.

The carriage 14, by which the cards 12 are supported for movement into position for grooving by the cutting end of the slot aligned with the front and side of the front part of the base housing when the carriageis in-it's' central position Front and back carriage supporting rods 112 and 113' are' mounted to extend across the under side ofthe carriage body between the end flanges 14b, and 'in spaced parallel relation to the front flange 14a; The'front mountingi shaft 112 is'slidably mounted for movementin an axial direction through lugs 114 formed upon the ends of .a' mounting member 115 secured to the base housing 1 .adjacent'thefront edge-thereof. As illustrated, thelugs 114- extend 'upwardly through openings'116 in the-housing 1,-.thebody of the mounting member 115 being se-" cured within the housing by machine screws 117 or other suitable securing means.

The rod 113 engages a roller 119 journaled upon a bracket 126 secured to the under side of the base housing 1. The roller 119 is positioned below the rod-113, and rotates upon an axis disposed at right angles to the axis of the rod 113. The roller extends to a level slightly above theupper surface of the base housingl, through an opening 121 formed in said housing. A finger 122 formed on the bracket 120 extends upwardly through the opening 121 and overhangs the rod 113 to holdthe carriage' in its operative position and prevent pivotal movement about the shaft or rod 112. A pair of rubber bumpers 123 are mounted upon the top of the housing-1 adjacent the carriage rod 113 and at opposite side of the roller 119and the finger 122. The bumpers 123 provide stops against which the side walls 14b of the carriage may be moved, .and which limit the transverse movement of the carriage relative to' the base housing 1 and the cutter 4. The rods 112 and 113 are secured to thecarriage body by means of screws 124 threaded axially into the rods through openings in the side walls of the carriage. The carriage maybe removed from the base frame by taking out the screws 124 by which the rod 112-'-is held in place, thereby permitting the carriage to be moved to carry the rod 113 from under the finger 122.

In order to hold a plurality of cards in accurate registration f-or'grooving, an aligning pin 126 is adjustably mounted to extend upwardly normal to the plane of the carriage; The pin is'secured to a mounting disc 127 movable along a channel 128 formed in top of the carriage body 14. The pin 126 extends outwardly through a slot-129 in a cover plate 130 applied over the upper surface-of the carriage body 14 and providing a smooth working surface thereon. The slot 129 is centered with respect to the channel 128 and permits movement of the aligningpin' across the carriage at right angles to the direct-ion of movement of the carriage relative to the base frame 1 andcutter 4. The aligning pin 126 is arranged to extend through any of a plurality of coding apertures 132 formed along edge portions of the cards 12, as best illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The pin holds the cards in registering relation and prevents relative displacement by the cutter during the grooving operation. When the pin 126 extends through an aperture on one side of the stack of cards, as indicated in Fig. l, the stack can be turned to present either of three sides to the cutting element. For example, the cards may be held-as indicated in Fig. 1 for grooving the cards at one end. Without disturbing the registration, and the engagement of the stack by the pin, the stack may be moved bodily about the aligning pin 126 as a pivot, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to present a longitudinal side to the cutter as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2,-or to present the opposite end to'the cutter aswindicated in full lines in Fig. 3. The stackextending through an aperture upon another side of the" card before the edge originally applied over pin 126 can bemo'ved to notching position.

A" stack of cards placed upon the aligning pin 126 is moved to place the edge of the stack where a groove is to becut'against the facing plate 7 of the cover housings The carriage 14 is then shifted bodily to the right orleft as'required to position the stack so that the cutter 4 can'b'e operated to groove the edges of the cards to a selected coding aperture. Since the apertures are placed as close together as possible, it is necessary that the cards be accurately positioned with a desired aperture aligned with the cutter 4 to insure proper coding. suc'halignrhent, an aligning plate or comb 133 is secured across the under side of the carriage 14 between the carriage rods 112 and 113 in parallel relation to said rods. The comb 133 is provided with a plurality of teeth" 134 spaced to conform to the spacing of the coding apertures 132 of the cards 12 to be coded. The comb is supported by lugs 135 extending downwardly from the under side of the carriage body by retaining members 136 applied through longitudinally extending slots 137 whereby the comb may be adjusted relative to the supporting lugs. Adjustment is effected by means of an adjusting screw 138 threaded into a boss 139 secured to one end of the comb. The screw 138 is provided with a bearing portion 141 seating within a boss formed on the inner side of the carriage end wall 14b, and is held in assembled relation therewith by a retaining washer 142. A knurled knob 143 is secured to the screw for imparting rotation thereto, and detent grooves 144 are formed in the end of the knob to be engaged by a detent ball 145 mounted in the boss 140 are pressed into engagement with the grooves 144 by a spring 146. R0- tation of the knurled knob 143 as it bears against the boss 140 imparts a longitudinal movement to the comb 133, whereby the spaces between the teeth of the comb may be brought into register with the apertures 132 along the edge of the cards 12.

The carriage 14 is arranged to be locked at a selected position during operation of the cutting mechanism. This is accomplished by means of a locking finger 147 secured to a shaft 148 pivotally mounted on the under side of the base housing 1 by means of brackets 149 and 150. The finger 147 extends upwardly through an opening 151 in the top of the housing 1 for movement into and out of engagement with the teeth of the comb 133. The ends of the teeth 134along the edge of the aligning comb are pointed as at 152, and the edge of the finger 147 engaging the teeth is beveled as at 153 so that when the finger is moved toward a locking position, engagement of a beveled face of the finger with the pointed end of an adjacent tooth will serve to move the carriage into exact alignment with the selected coding aperture corresponding to the space into which the locking finger is moved.

The finger 147 is moved to and from locking position by means of a crank arm 155 secured to the shaft 148 and pivotally engaged by an actuating link 156 by means of a pivot pin 157. The actuating link 156 extends rearwardly into engagement with an arm 158 pivotally connected at its upper end to the arm 48 by means of a pivot pin 159. The'arm 158 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 161 engaging a guide pin 162 carried by a bracket 163 upon the under side of the main base housing 1. The slot 161 is provided with a curved cam portion movable to engage a pin 164 secured to the connecting link 156 and slidably engaging the slot 161, as best illustrated in Figs. 6 and 22 of the drawings. The arm 48, being carried by the shafit 33, which in turn is actuated by the hand lever 41, normally forces the arm 158 downwardly to the unlocking position indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Whenthe hand lever 41 is depressed to set mechanism into operation the initial movementofthe lever 41 causes the arm 158t'obe raised to-the locking'position shown'in To insure Fig. 22 of the drawings. This movement of the arm 158 causes the pin 16 1 to be displaced by the cam surface 165 sufficiently to cause the crank arm 155 to swing the locking finger 147 into engagement with the aligning comb. This movement occurs during the interval of movement required to actuate the rocker arm 67 for releasing the detent 54. As a consequence, the locking finger 147 is moved to accurately align the carriage with a selected coding aperture, and lock the carriage against further movement, before the cutter is moved along its cutting stroke.

The edge of the stack of cards 12 in which the coding groove is to be cut, is solidly supported upon a bar 166 which extends across the width of the base housing 1 with its upper surface in the plane defined by the cover plate 139. The front shield plate 7 is secured to the bar at right angles to the plane of the upper surface of the bar and cover plate 131?, so that the stack may be held firmly in cutting position. The initial downward movement of the hand lever 11, which serves to actuate the finger 147 into locking engagement with the comb 133, and to actuate the rocker arm 67 and detent 54 to clutch releasing position, also causes the cutter 4 to be moved downwardly from its normal elevated position shown in full lines in Figs. 5, 6 and 11 of the drawings into engagement with the top of the stack of cards as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 11 and in full lines in Figs. 15, 18 and 19 of the drawings.

This movement of the cutter is caused by the action of the control arm 131 and spring 87 which, by their engagement with the pin 81 extending through the opening 83, causes the cutting arm 37 to move with the control arm 81 until the cutter seats upon the stack of cards. After the cutter blade contacts the top of the stack of cards, further movement of the control arm 81 is permitted by the opening 83 without imposing cutting pressure upon the cutter 4. The further movement of the lever 41 actuates the rocker arm 67 and lifts the detent 54 out of the path of the detent pin 53, and thereby frees the clutch drum 33 to rotate the cam shaft 32 through a single revolution as above described. Rotation of the cam 34, by the shaft 32 from the starting position indicated in Figs. 11, 18 and 19 of the drawings causes the cam to engage the roller 36 and thereby move the arm 37 to force the cutter 4 downwardly through the cards as indicated in Fig. 16 of the drawings. The throw of the cam 34 is sufiicient to force the cutter entirely through the stack of cards, which in the embodiment illustrated may include as many as about 1511 separate cards to be grooved at the same time. As the roller 36 passes 011 from the high point of the cam, the cutter is returned instantly to its starting position indicated in Figs. and 6, and the operation is halted until the mechanism is reconditioned by a return of the hand lever to its starting position as above explained.

In order to insure penetration of the cutter 4 through the lowermost card of the stack, without damage to the cutter or to the surface against which it is pressed, provision is made for adjusting the down movement of the cutter. In the embodiment illustrated, this is accomplished by adjustably mounting the control shaft 38, on which the cutter actuating arm 37 pivots, as best illustrated in Fig. 14 of the drawings. In this arrangement, the shaft 38 is journaled in the sleeve 411, which is pressed into an adjustably mounted block 167 slidable within a recess 168 formed in one of the ribs of the mounting bracket 2. The block 167 is provided with a bore 169 within which is mounted an adjusting screw 171. The upper end of the adjusting screw 171 is threaded through a plate 172 secured to the bracket 2 by screws 173 or other suitable securing means. A reduced extension 174 is formed on the lower or inner end of the adjusting screw 171 to seat within a journal recess 175 drilled into the bottom of the recess 168. The block 167 is movable within the recess 163 along a guide 176 cooperating with the screw 171 to hold the journal block 167 in proper alignment.

,The adjusting screw 171 extends through a detent hub 177 seating within a recess 178 in the side of the journal block 167 and secured to the adjusting sc'rew by a set screw 179. The detent hub 177 is provided with a plurality of grooves 181 circumferentially spaced around its periphery and engaged by a detent 182 pressed into engagement therewith by a light spring 183. A compression spring 184 seated within a recess 186 in the bottom of the recess 168 normally resists downward movement of the journal block 167 and minimizes lost motion in the adjustment of the block. The top of the adjusting screw 171 is provided with a slot 187 so that the screw may be actuated by a screw driver introduced through an opening 188 in the top of the housing cover 3 for effecting a final close adjustment of the cutter without removing the cover 3 and without disturbing or exposing other portions of the mechanism.

In order to insure a clean cut through the lowermost card of the stack of cards 12, the machine is provided with a cutter block 1911 made of wood or other suitable material onto which the cutting edge may be pressed without damage to the cutting edge. While it would be possible on a stationary block of hard wood or similar material positioned in line with the cutting element 4, such a block would be short lived as repeated engagement by the cutting knife 4 onto the same area of the block would soon scar the block in such a way as to prevent a clean cut through the lowermost card 12.

To minimize the scoring action of the cutter 4, and to provide a cutter block which will stand up under hard usage, the present machine is provided with a rotatable cutter block of cylindrical form rotated and shifted axially with respect to the cutter between successive operations of the cutter.

As illustrated, the cutter block 190 is a cylindrical body of wood, plastic, or other suitable material, mounted for free rotation upon a shaft 191 extending across a mounting bracket 19?. secured on the under side of the main base housing 1. The shaft 191 is yieldably supported within elongated bearing openings 193 formed in opposite sides of the bracket 192. The bearing openings permit a limited vertical movement of the shaft 191 and cutter block 190 upon the bracket 192 whereby the cutter block 190 may be moved to engage and disengage a pair of stop rods 194 extending transversely across the bracket 192 below the cutting block 190. The shaft 191 is normally held in its raised position in engagement with the tops of the elongated bearing openings 193 by a spring 196 exerting an upward pressure against a block 19'! mounted upon a bracket 19S positioned upon one side of the bracket 192.

The rods 194 are slidably movable relative to the bracket 192, and are secured at one end to the bracket 198 for axial movement thereby. The shaft 191 extends through the bracket 198 and the adjacent side wall of the base housing 1; and is provided with a knob 199 upon the outer end thereof by which the shaft may be moved axially to disengage the cutter block 190. A compression spring 2110 is mounted over the shaft 191, between the housing 1 and a collar 201 secured to the shaft, to normally urge the shaft toward its operative position. The end portion of the bracket 198 adjacent the bracket 192 has an elongated opening matching with the bearing openings 193 of the bracket 192 to permit relative vertical movement of the shaft; and the other end of the bracket 198 is similarly slotted and is engaged between the collar 201 and a retainer 202 for moving the bracket with the shaft.

Axial movement of the shaft 191 to disengage the cutter block 190 causes the rods 194 to be moved from under the block, thereby permitting the block to be removed for refinishing or replacement as required. A stop 203, having a finger 204 extending longitudinally from the hub toward the housing wall 1, limits movement of the shaft 191 to permit removal of a cutting block'190 without moving the shaft 191 entirely out of engagement with the bracket 192.

The block 190 is rotated upon the shaft 191 by means of a roller 205 secured to a shaft 206 extending transversely across the mounting bracket 192 in a position such as to maintain a light driving contact with the periphery of the cylindrical cutting block 190. The shaft 206 is driven by means of a belt 207, preferably of coil spring construction, operating over a pulley 208 secured to the shaft 206, and a pulley 209 secured to the motor driven shaft 27.

The shaft 206 is axially movable through journals 211 in the arms of a bail 210 pivotally mounted upon the bracket 192 by means of a pivot shaft 210a. A drive hub 212 of rubber or other suitable material is secured upon the end of the shaft 206 opposite the drive pulley 208. The drive hub 212 abuts against a cam 213 mounted upon an eccentrically positioned mounting pin 214 carried by a mounting bracket 215. The cam 213 is provided with a knurled or toothed edge engaging the end of the drive hub 212 at a point offset from the axis of the hub 212 and the shaft 206, as best illustrated in Fig. of the drawings. The hub 212 is held in driving engagement with the cam 213 by means of a compression spring 216 mounted between the hub 212 anda thrust bearing 217 carried by the shaft 206. The earn 213 is freely rotatable upon the bracket 215. As the cam is driven by contact with the end of the hub 212, its eccentricity causes the hub, and the shaft 206 upon which it is mounted, to be shifted axially with a reciprocating movement through a range equal to the throw of the cam 213. The length and flexibility of the belt or cable 207 permits the shaft 206 to be shifted without disturbing the driving connection to the shaft through the belt, as best indicated in Fig. 9 of the drawings.

As the shaft 206 is shifted axially by engagement with the cam 213 it imparts a corresponding transverse movement to the cutter roller 190 along its shaft 191 so that rotation of the shaft 206 imparts rotation to the cam 213 which in turn imparts axial movement to the shaft 206 and the drive roller 205 secured thereto. This movement of the drive roller 205 imparts rotation to the cutting block 190 and also causes the block to be shifted axially along the shaft 191 with the drive roller 205, so that at each operation of the cutter 4, a dilferent area of the cutting block 190 will be exposed to the cutting action of the blade as it cuts through the lowermost card 12 of the stack. As the cutter 4 is pressed downwardly against the stack of cards, during its cutting stroke, the cutting block 190 is pressed downwardly to seat against the stop rods 194, thereby holding the cutting block against rotation during the cutting action. The coil spring cable 207 slips over one or the other of the drive pulleys, or the drive roller 205 slips on the cutting block 190 during the period the cutting block 190 is held against rotation.

The cutter 4 and the actuating and control mechanism therefore is substantially entirely enclosed within the main frame housing 1 and cover 3, only the V-shaped rib of the chine through connections 221 suitably attached to the buss bar 101 upon whichthe terminals for the power cir cuit are attached.

In operation, a stack of cards 12, such as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, is placed upon the carriage 14 with the aligningpin 126extending upwardly through aligned apertures 132 on one side of the stack .down by the operator, or other cause.

of cards other than the side to be grooved. With the cards so held in accurately registering relation, the stack is moved bodily to abut the front closure plate 7 with the edge to be grooved supported on the crossbar 166. Thecarriage 14 is then moved to right or left as required to position the stack with a desired aperture 132 aligned with the cutting element 4. Approximate alignment is effected by the operator by manually moving the carriage to approximate alignment. With the cards thus positioned, the hand lever 41 is pressed downwardly to set the power driven mechanism into operation.

During the initial movement of the hand lever 41, the aligning finger 147 is moved into engagement with the aligning comb 133 for moving the carriage to position the cards in exact alignment with the cutter. At the same time, the cutter 4 is moved to rest against the top of the stack. Slight extra movement causes the detent 54 to be moved out of the path of the detent pin 53, thereby permitting the clutch drum to transmit rotation from the-gear 29 to the cam shaft 32. Rotation of the cam shaft 32 causes the cam 34 to actuate the cutter arm 37 and force the cutter downwardly through the stack of cards to cut a groove in the edge of the stack opening into a selected coding aperture 132 of the card.

As the cutting stroke is completed, the hand lever 41 is released for return to its starting position, and the stop 54 moves back into the path of the pin 53. This halts the operationuntil the hand lever 41 is returned to a point where thearm 81 causes the Wire 73 to reset the rocker arm 67 and link 62 in their operative engaging relation. This necessitates a return of the hand lever 41 to itsstarting position, and prevents continued operation of the cutter 4 in the event the lever is inadvertently held At the end of the cutting stroke, the arm 54 stops the rotation of the cam shaft32 by disengaging the clutch. The cam 102 prevents rebound and centers the flats of member 33a relative to the cam rolls 33b so as to prevent chattering of the cam and rolls.

The stack of cards is then shifted to move the next coding aperture, to which a groove is to be cut, into alignment with the cutter 4. If the next point is on the same side of the card, the carriage is moved to right or left as required. If the point to be grooved is on another edge of the card, the stack is moved bodily about the aligning pin 126, to present a desired edge to the cutter, or the stack may be removed bodily from the aligning pin 126 and replaced with the aligning pin extending through a different aperture on another edge of the stack of cards. The operation is, of course, repeated as many times as necessary to effect a desired coding of the cards in accordance with a general classification common to large groups of cards. in the embodiment illustrated, as many as cards can be readily grooved at selected points 'along'selected edges at one time. The movement of the carriage 14,'and the aligning pin 126 facilitates the placing and'holding of cards in accurate registration, and insures an accurate positioning of the cards for each grooving operation.

The machine is disconnected from the source of power when not in use. This causes the solenoid actuated safety arm 91 'to move and hold the link 62 out of engagement with the pin 66, and thereby prevents operation or relative movement of the parts while the machine is disconnected from-the source of power.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for grooving cards for classification comprising a cutter, a carriage mounted for transverse movement below and in front of said cutter and adapted to be manually moved to an approximate aligned position with res pect to said cutter, actuating means for operating said cutter, and means 'operatively associated with said cutter actuating means for automatically moving said carriage into an exact'aligned position with respect to said 13 cutter in response to the actuation of said cutter actuating means to operate said cutter.

2. A machine for grooving cards for classification comprising a base frame, a cutter mounted for cutting movement upon base frame, a carriage mounted on said base frame for movement transverse to said cutter movement, said carriage being mounted in front of said cutter for supporting a stack of cards to be grooved by said'cutter, said carriage being adapted to be manually moved so that a desired position of the carriage is in approximate alignment With the path of said cutter movement, power drive means for actuating said cutter, manually controlled means for effecting driving engagement of said power drive means with said cutter, and means actuated by said manually controlled means as said manually controlled means is operated to effect driving engagement of said power drive means with said cutter for auto matically locking said carriage so that the desired carriage position is in exact alignment with respect to the path of said cutter movement.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 2, further including means to delay driving engagement of said cutter until said carriage is in the exactly aligned position with respect to the path of said cutter.

4. In a device as set forth in claim 2, further including an aligning device mounted on said carriage adapted to position the stack of cards in registering relation and in alignment with the cutter for grooving.

5. A machine for grooving cards for classification comprising a base frame, a cutter mounted upon said base frame for cutting movement, a carriage mounted on said base frame for movement transverse to said cutter movement, aligning means mounted on said carriage adapted to position a stack of cards having a series of coding holes spaced along the cards so that the cards are in registering relation and in alignment with the cutter for grooving, said carriage being adapted to be manually moved so that a preselected hole in a supported card is in approximate alignment with said cutter, power drive means for actuating said cutter, manually controlled means for effecting driving engagement of said power drive means with said cutter, a comb attached to said carriage and having teeth spaced to conform to the spacing of the coding holes of the said cards, said comb having slots formed between said teeth, a locking finger of a width conforming to said slots movable into and out of said slots for locking the carriage so that the preselected card hole is in exact aligned relation to said cutter, and means for actuating said locking finger in response to the opeartion of said manually controlled means as said manually controlled means is operated to 14 efiect driving engagement of said power drive means with said cutter.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said comb teeth are provided with pointed ends, said slots are relatively narrow with respect to the spacing of said comb teeth, and said comb teeth are provided with inclined guide faces extending from said teeth points to said slots.

7. A machine for grooving cards for classification comprising a base frame, a cutter mounted upon said base frame for cutting movement, a carriage mounted on said base frame for movement transverse to said cutter movement, aligning means mounted on said carriage adapted to position a stack of cards having a series of coding holes spaced along the cards so that the cards are in registering relation and in alignment with the cutter for grooving, said carriage being adapted to be manually moved so that a preselected hole in a supported card is in approximate alignment with said cutter, power drive means for actuating said cutter, manually controlled means for effecting driving engagement of said power drive means With said cutter, a comb attached to said carriage and having teeth spaced to conform to the spacing of the coding holes of the said cards, said comb having slots formed between said teeth, a locking finger of a Width conforming to said slots movable into and out of said slots for locking the carriage so that the preselected card hole is in an exact aligned relation to said cutter, and means operable in response to actuation of said manually controlled means to etfect driving engagement of said power drive means with said cutter for actuating said locking finger to lock said carriage before said cutter is operated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 380,614 Whitelaw Apr. 3, 1888 725,139 Reynolds Apr. 14, 1903 1,149,151 Birkenmaier Aug. 3, 1915 1,195,972 Bryce Aug. 29, 1916 2,271,019 DeMattia Jan. 27, 1942 2,289,076 Ryan July 7, 1942 2,342,516 Nevin Feb. 22, 1944 2,414,547 Nevin Ian. 21, 1947 2,536,213 Plotts 1 Ian. 2, 1951 2,576,221 Bone Nov. 27, 1951 2,611,433 Rembold Sept. 23, 1952 2,620,874 Chase Dec. 9, 1952 2,698,053 Mantonya Dec. 28, 1954 2,708,971 Maul May 24, 1955 

